Cal Fire honors Navy, Marines

Sacramento  Cal Fire on Thursday honored San Diego military leaders with its “partnership award” in recognition of strides made in developing and implementing an agreement calling for immediate cooperative responses when fires break out in the region.

The memorandum of understanding between Cal Fire, the Marines and the Navy based in San Diego County was the outgrowth of the bureaucratic hurdles that delayed the military from immediately taking to the air to fight the region’s devastating Cedar Fire in 2003.

The MOU was most recently activated in August when a series of lightning strikes struck throughout Southern California and sparked a number of fires in the San Diego area.

“California is a community in which we are a part. It is important to develop cooperative relationships such as the one we have with Cal Fire,” Brig. Gen. Vincent Coglianese, commander of Camp Pendleton, said in a statement after the ceremony.

“Having a personal relationship ahead of a crisis helps our personnel perform well together when needed,” he added.

Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott struck﻿ a similar tone.

“The partnerships we have forged with our friends in the Navy and Marines serve as an excellent model of interagency cooperation,” he said. “Combining our resources during times of crisis only enhances our capabilities to serve the public.”

The MOU has also acted as a model for similar programs across the country, according to Cal Fire.

The award was presented at a ceremony held at the California Highway Patrol Academy in West Sacramento.